2002 Summer Slam - It's Gettin' Hot In Here

Must Be Summer Slam...

Maybe it's the shorter show season that helps to create the cool trucks in the Northeast. Drivers can't play all year long like in California or Florida. The cold weather and icy and salted streets mean trucks sometimes have to hibernate like bears through the long winter. While it may not be much fun to drive them in that kind of weather, it is the perfect time to sideline the truck for a while and finally implement those customizing ideas you've been thinking about all summer. Once the changes are made and the sunny spring weather finally arrives, stand by! All of that pent-up enthusiasm is let loose when the rejuvenated trucks bust out of the garage and hit the street.

At this year's Summer Slam in Englishtown, New Jersey, more than a 1,000 rejuvenated trucks, cars, and lowriders hit the streets, enjoying the summertime fun. They were joined by a huge collection of drag racing and Pro Import Funny Cars hell-bent on entertaining the crowd by getting to the finish line of the track first. With a $50,000 weekend payoff to the racers and show cars, drivers came from miles around to enjoy the show and compete for their share of the cash. More than 24,000 spectators showed up, knowing it would be a fun time. Englishtown's Raceway Park has been putting on first-class events since its inception in 1964. The staff knows how to do it right, creating a weekend full of activities guaranteed to entertain (and sometimes even fatten the wallets of) participants.

In addition to drag racing both days, there was a Top 100 car and truck show on Saturday along with a fully judged event on Sunday with trophies for the Top Three in each class. A USAC-sanctioned Stereo Sound Off gave the audio-heads in the crowd an opportunity to rattle some windows and take home some trophies, too. The bikini contest had a top prize of $2,500, meaning beautiful ladies from throughout the Northeast arrived intent on enthralling the crowd with their own personal brand of entertainment and nabbing their share of the prize money. The excitement continued with the hydraulic contest emceed by Funk Master Flex, who kept the crowd going throughout the contest. The switchmen contributed to the effort, with an active crew of hoppers and dancers. Finalist Jason Marchese rolled his 4Runner twice just to show the crowd that he could. With more going on than there was time to see, the fun continued right up until the end of the show. Hundreds of lucky individuals took home trophies, and the big winners took home fat paychecks. If you'd like to be part of next year's fun, check out the year round schedule of events at www.racewaypark.com.